The Milwaukee Civil Rights Lawyers of Samster, Konkel & Safran, S.C. Report on Jury Selection in the Criminal Trial for the Murd

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Jul 19, 2013

The Milwaukee Civil Rights Lawyers of Samster, Konkel & Safran, S.C. Report on Jury Selection in the Criminal Trial for the Murder of Darius Simmons

Posted By
Samster Konkel & Safran, C.C.

The verdict in the George Zimmerman trial for the killing of Travon Martin
influenced jury selection for the trial of John H. Spooner, who shot and
killed Darius Simmons based upon the incorrect suspicion that Darius stole
guns from Mr. Spooner’s home. Compounding the tragedy, Darius’
mother witnessed the shooting from only a few feet away.

The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office charged John H. Spooner
with first degree intentional homicide. On July 15, 2013, jury selection
for the trial for Mr. Spooner occurred. Many potential jurors compared
Mr. Spooner’s shooting of Darius to George Zimmerman’s shooting
of Travon Martin. Just prior to the shooting, Mr. Spooner complained to
Milwaukee Alderman Bob Donovan about the police response to the alleged
burglary of his home. According to Alderman Donovan, Mr. Spooner said
something to the effect of “there are other ways of dealing with
situations like this.” Some have suggested that Mr. Spooner’s
comment indicated vigilantism, which led to the George Zimmerman comparisons.
Ultimately, 14 jurors were selected for the trial of Mr. Spooner, ten
men and four women. Only one black person made it onto the jury. Franklyn
Gimbel, the lawyer for Mr. Spooner, objected to three other potential
black jurors, which resulted in them being struck from the jury pool.
Milwaukee Assistant District Attorney Mark Williams, who is prosecuting
Mr. Spooner, claimed that Mr. Gimbel’s objection to the black jurors
was not race-neutral. The court will consider Mr. Williams’ claim
today as the trial continues. Please continue to follow our website and
our blog for updates on the case.

The Milwaukee civil rights attorneys of Samster, Konkel & Safran, S.C.
represent the mother of Darius Simmons in her lawsuit against John H.
Spooner. We will work hard to ensure that there is justice for the killing
of Darius.